What to write about, meandered round the blogs and giggled here and there. Had a moment of memory failure yesterday morning. Put the soup on and then went to my computer and forgot. Some time later the smoke alarms went off, their shrill piercing hurting my ears. Doors thrown open to the outside, pot put on the surface in the kitchen where it blistered the top. Nigel from over the road yelling from the back door, are you alright, I saw smoke coming out. Thank goodness for neighbours who keep an eye on you. All became calm in the end.
American troops are leaving Afghanistan but is it to the fate of the Taliban I wonder? Should not have watched 'Dispatches' rerun on Channel 4 yesterday. A religion so strictly observed that the lives of the women are so undermined that we should weep with frustration. Horrible scenes in the football stadium, as another face of patriarchal religion showed its strength to obedience by making killing a spectator's sport.
Perhaps all that lying and corruption we are listening to at the moment in our own government maybe be a better option, but what choices we have to make. Does it not make you wonder though that in tolerating a prime minister that lies, we are also part of the problem in allowing it?
As my father-in-law used to say years ago as the family sat round the dining table. He would threw the napkin over his head S.I.D. S.I.D, sometimes I despair, sometimes I despair as the family argued over religion and politics.
When you look at the television programmes all you see is people tarting up their homes, chefs cooking things, stupid nonsense programmes on getting married to strangers and yet in the outside world terrible atrocities to other citizens of the world, it doesn't make sense.
Yes Pat I know, we should leave politics at the front door of our blogs ;)
Think I will go and find some magic mushrooms!
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| Amanita |
And in doing so visited Mirk Mire Moor and Wheeldale Moor
Easy to be overwhelmed by all the awful things that are happening in the world, perhaps we try to ignore what we can to keep ourselves sane? I think I do anyway
ReplyDeleteNot looking though Sue is perhaps just as dangerous, we are witnesses to what is happening around us.
ReplyDeleteI am lucky that my son keeps my feet firmly on the floor in these matters. I do agree Thelma that we really owe it to ourselves not to ignore things even though we can do little about them. I shall keep S I D in my mind from now on - needs printing on my wall really. I have to plead guilty to watching Masterchef = these young people so dedicated to their craft - maybe it is a fatuous one but I do like to see young people working so hard and being so dedicated. Last night's final was the cylnination of that young man's ambitions and I admired him for it.
ReplyDeleteCon my first father in law, worked for Unesco, which also gets a lot of criticism nowadays. He was a good man, took two fatherless children under his love and care, along with his wife Lotta my daughter's grandmother and taught me always to look at things and judge. So his SID saying is always appropriate to remember.
DeleteWhen diplomacy veered away from gunboats and relied more on the skilful use of words and trade deals, the rest of the world could just about keep a lid on the tribal politics of the Middle East. How many countries have attempted to get involved with Afghanistan, only to leave it in even a worse mess after a few years? As usual, it is the ordinary people who suffer.
ReplyDeleteSome would argue that education would help, especially of women, but then they are targets of this religion. Walking away from those towns smashed into smithereens and the people starving on the streets, especially the children, seems a big step.
ReplyDeleteGood summary of the kind of television programmes I avoid.
ReplyDeleteI am going to make a vow and shut up soon ;)
DeleteAfter being sick the end of February, I have stopped watching any television. I think I am happier for it-- especially not the pundits telling me what I should think about the news. I do read newspapers and magazines online but they are easier to distance myself from them-- or speed ahead rather than get all they wanted me to read. I also realized how much of a time filler TV was for me and not sure to my benefit. I am sure I'll watch some again in the future but not for now.
ReplyDeleteI know you have been ill Rain, and hope it will all go soon, so do take care. My cross words about what you find on television always provokes attention but perhaps I like to stir things up a little. I watch just as much trash as everybody else, just that I get so cross about what is on show. Less is better as you so rightly say.
DeleteOops - too many typos, had to delete last comment... here it is corrected
ReplyDeleteWhatever you do, don't eat those mushrooms in your despair - for as they say, 'all mushrooms are edible; it's just that some are edible only once!'
I rather like those Sixties programmes on which Bryan McGee would interview a leading philosopher or the like and open with a question along the line of, 'Now tell me, what's your position on Hayak's concept of positive freedom as applied to modern democratic state...' Never get away with that nowadays - pity in a way
Stunned into silence I would expect. There is a middle road of course, and I love the radio but will often turn off if it gets too highbrow. Each to his own I suppose is the answer. But it would be quite interesting to know Hayak's concept of positive freedom ;)
ReplyDeleteThere is so much hate over here and it saddens me so. What can I do to make things better for all? It is hard to know where to begin...
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing, absolutely nothing to change the course of history or how we can make any difference...
ReplyDeleteI think that many of us have let the pot boil too long at one time or another, and it has set off a lot of smoke alarms. The same thing has happened with the news of the world. Information is at our fingertips, and so is every horrible thing one could never imagine fed to us 24/7. I look around me and see good people, helpers, and heroes. They are seldom news except for a one minute clip at the end of an hour of horror. We need to be informed, we need to make good judgements, but we also need a respite from it all and take time to smell the wonderful flowers, kiss some babies and also hug (if he has been vaccinated) the kind neighbor who looked in on you to make sure you were safe.
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